The Queen and Her Golden Idol
by byaboo
Summary: I want to thank WickedRegalDearie for planting the GoldenQueen idea in my head. Regina is being forced into a marriage that she doesn't want by a mother hell bent on reigning. One man will change all that and open her up to a new world. Rumplestiltskin is alone, Bae is gone and he is drawn to Regina, the opposite of Cora. Will love bloom? Or are they doomed to stay enemies. Rated M
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Yet again I would like to thank WickedRegalDearie for the inspiration in writing this story. This story is rated M for future plot. Please enjoy and feel free to rate and respond. I hope you all enjoy it.**

***Byaboo**

~Regina~

Regina hates Cora with such a passion that it practically consumes her. Practically, hell more like completely consumes her. Daniel had been her true love, the one person who saw her as a person and not a pawn to forward his own desires. Regina loved Daniel and Cora took him from her for no other reason than she wants Regina to marry a king and become a queen. Being someone never mattered to Regina. All Cora can talk about is that the king keeps asking about her. She does not blame Snow White for what happened. She knows how persuasive, or rather manipulative, Cora can be.

Regina is standing in front of her mirror looking at the over the top dress that Cora just demanded….asked her to put on. She is prattling on about how Regina needs to look her best for the king and how she thinks he's going to propose any day now.

"See, wasn't I right about the seamstress making you a new dress? The king has seen you in your best clothes and it would send the wrong message to have him see you wear the same dress again. You need to look your best on that day. Did I tell you that he is planning on coming out for a week so soon after his last visit? I think he shall propose on this trip."

"Oh, shut up mother." The tightness of the magic Cora uses to wrap Regina in is something that she has gotten used to, still doesn't make them comfortable or looser, just familiar.

"What was that darling?"

"Nothing mother."

"That's it sweetheart. Soon we will have the world at our beck and call." Regina immediately hears her slip. The magical constraints dissipate but are replaced by the ridiculously tight corset straps.

"I can't breathe mother."

"Breathing is for those who are married." Regina sighs; well she tries to sigh but manages only a slight exhalation. Cora sweeps the both of them out of Regina's room and down towards the receiving hall.

"The king will be here any moment." The dress has to weigh nearly thirty pounds and the shoes are incredibly uncomfortable. These are the things that are taking Regina's focus. A sharp smack on her hand brings her attention back to her mother.

"You are fidgeting, queens don't fidget." Queen, queen bloody freaking queen, that is all that woman can think about. The trumpet sounding the king's arrival makes her heart sink. Regina, however; plasters on a smile and curtsey's when the king stops in front of her.

"You look beautiful, Regina. Would you mind taking a brief walk with me through the gardens? It is too beautiful a day not to enjoy it." She can't speak. Cora subtly pushes her into motion, which is all the king needs as confirmation. He takes her arm and places it in the crook of his. The two walk out of the palace.

"Regina, you have shown Snow White such kindness that hasn't gone unnoticed with me. It has been passed through the kingdoms that I am seeking a new wife and mother for Snow. I would be honored if you would accept my proposal of marriage."

"Your Highness-"

"Leopold, please call me Leopold."

"Leopold, I, I'm not sure it would be a good idea. I'm not really the mothering type." She can see the look of disappointment in his eyes and can practically feel the magical constraints tightening around her.

"You can learn to be a good mother, and I, well I have feelings for you Regina." Against her better judgment Regina slumps, at least it is an attempted slump, against her corset.

"I shall marry you Leopold." He leaps up and wraps Regina in a tight hug. He pulls away from her and puts the sapphire and diamond ring on her finger. She flashes a brief smile at her new fiancé, while her stomach sinks to her knees. Cora appears suddenly and envelopes the two of them in a hug while gushing about how happy she is for the both of them. Leopold sends one of his knights to retrieve Snow from the carriage.

"She fell asleep on the ride over and I didn't want to wake her until necessary." The brunette child bounds towards her father with a wide smile.

"Snow, darling, I want to introduce you to your new mom." The girl, who usually is very happy and eager to show affection, is reserved and quiet. She briefly hugs Regina and runs off.

"She'll come around. She does like you Regina." Regina wants to crawl out of her skin at the moment. In a matter of a few months she would be a mom and a wife and be required to have a child of her own, preferably a boy. She uses Snow's departure as a way to get away from her mother and Leopold.

"I'm going to go check on Snow." She can hear Cora chirping at Leopold about how mothering Regina is. Just like mother. She knew one thing; she would not be a mother like hers is. She will not force her child, or children, into marrying someone they do not want to. Regina silently sits down next to Snow. She watches as the girl ignores her and messes with some nearby rocks.

"I hope you know I will never call you mother."

"I wouldn't want you to if you don't want to do that. I am not replacing your mother."

"Then why does father need to marry anyone? We are happy just the two of us." It is a good question that if answered will only make Snow even more unhappy. Regina decides that instead of being honest, she will tell a little white lie.

"Your father and I are in love, Snow. That's what people do when they are in love. They marry. I am truly sorry your mother died. His marrying me does not mean he didn't love her, it means the exact opposite." The young girl turns an inquisitive eye towards her and just stares for a second.

"I mean it Snow; I am not looking to replace your mother." The girl gives a small smile and tosses a rock that sinks immediately.

"Let me show you a little trick." Regina says as she picks up a small flat rock, she skips it across the lake. The two spend a few minutes more skipping rocks before Leopold calls to them.

"My girls, it is time for supper." Snow runs off and hugs her father. He gives Regina a smile and kisses her temple.

"You seem to have smoothed the way with little Snow." Cora jumps in at that moment to croon about Regina, and more importantly about how good a mother she is because of how good a potential mother Regina will be. Cora is always looking for a way to promote herself. The next day the wedding announcement goes out and Cora has already called upon a seamstress and a wedding attendant, someone to help with wedding details.

"Mother, Leopold and I spoke at length last night. We do not wish to have a long engagement or a lavish wedding. We want something quiet with close family and friends in attendance." Secretly Regina is happy with Leopold's suggestion because it means fewer people she has to pretend in front of. Cora just waives her comment off and continues with her prattling.

"Please, darling you know that you will look back on a small wedding and wish you had done as I suggest. Why fight me on this, you know I will get my way. I do agree with you on the long engagement however. One shouldn't leave a man alone with their desires for long." Regina just slumps against the chair resigned to the huge lavish affair that her mother will plan. She spent much of the following two weeks trying on an ever growing lavish wedding dress. The most recent fitting is a disaster from the beginning. The poor seamstress is practically shaking whenever Cora is in the room to the point that Regina gets stuck four times in ten minutes. After the fifth poke she turns to her mother.

"Why don't you go see if the wedding attendant has drawn up the designs for the wedding hall?"

"Now that is a bride planning ahead. I told you that you would get into the planning." Cora's departure leaves the room with a palpable calmness.

"I know she is a little….difficult and can stress out the calmest person. I am truly sorry for all that she is putting you through." The seamstress smiles and subtly wipes her eyes. Regina spends the next hour in almost absolute silence with the seamstress as she finishes the final measurements of the dress and its mock up. Once the seamstress is done and left to begin working on the wedding dress Cora arrives back in the room. She sits down with a sigh and looks at Regina.

"You should be so thankful that _I_ am taking care of all of this for you but that is what the mother of the future queen _should_ do." Instead of answering her mother Regina gets up and walks out to the barn. Her mother got rid of Regina's horse when she killed Daniel, so that Regina could not run away. Regina just wanders the barn; it has always been her best place to calm down. She can feel eyes on her.

"Mother I am not going to run away, you can stop watching me." There was no response. The feeling of being watched did dissipate though.

~Rumplestiltskin~

The poor girl is desperately sad; it's what initially pulls him to her location. That is how he is able to appear just when needed. Usually whenever the person calls out he makes his presence known but this time it feels wrong. His foresight is telling him to wait that she will call on him again. He reappears back in his castle and sighs at the silence that surrounds him. It is amazing how much he misses Bae's noise. The noise of other people's wishes can be deafening and is something that used to bring him happiness and take away a certain degree of missing sadness due to the silence in the castle. Knowing how many people are out there that have such trivial desires and how quickly they are willing to practically sign their lives over for, quite effectively, nothing. Sure it seems important to them at that moment but most of the time if they just let things play out it always ends up the same way, just a little later than they wanted. Cinderella did not need a spell to be able to go to the ball that leads her to meeting the Prince, her future husband. He was planning a trip to meet and greet noble families prior to the ball. He would have met Cinderella during this meet and greet. That was derailed once Cinderella went to the ball and dropped her shoe. The Prince just tweaked his reasons for the visiting of the families. This doesn't mean that Rumplestiltskin doesn't delight in manipulating things so he can get what he wants from these people; it just means that they are usually unable to wait for things to fall into place.

This girl in the barn intrigues him though. She is very strong and has an aura of magic surrounding her, something that is surprisingly unusual. It is a mere week later when he is pulled to her again, this time she calls him by name and not by just a feeling of desperation.

"Rumpelshtil- Rumpelshtilshin, I summon thee."

"That's not how you say it, dearie. But then, you didn't have to say anything." He can see how uncomfortable he makes her. Usually he relishes doing that but for some reason he feels bad about it. He doesn't show her any of that though, a deal is a deal.

"What are you?"

"What, what, what. My, my what a rude question. I am not a 'what'." He is amused that she has the naiveté to even ask. He looked into her life during the previous week and found out that her mother is Cora. Cora, the woman who taught him that being heartless is better than being with him.

"I'm sorry, I… I don't really know what I'm doing."

"That much is clear. Allow me to introduce myself, Rumplestiltskin." He could feel her eyes assessing him in a way that he had grown used to, except this is different. She was initially horrified but now, she seems just plain curious.

"And I'm-" He cuts her off because he wants to get the fact that he knows and taught Cora out of the way.

"Regina. I know."

"You do?"

"But of course."

"Because of my mother, Cora, you taught her."

"My legend precedes me." Rumplestiltskin desperately wants to know how much Cora told her but he keeps his attentions aloof and continues to let her feel him out.

"Then, can you help me?" The hopefulness in her voice is ringing through loud and clear, even a blind deaf mute can feel it.

"Possibly, yes. You seek power, the death of your enemies….the death of your friends." Regina's face does not react with satisfaction of being read, it is in fact looking quite horrified.

"No! I don't want to hurt anyone." Ah, there's the difference. Regina still has her humanity. He moves his hand and behind him appears a covered object.

"How did -"

"Magic, it can set you free."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so excited with the response so far from this story! Here is chapter 2, please enjoy!**

~Regina~

"How, exactly do you know my mother?" Regina knows her question is abrupt and defensive sounding but she knows her mother well enough to not trust the man standing before her.

"What does that have to do with our potential deal, dearie?" She could tell he was intrigued by her question and wanted to toy with her.

"Answer me or leave." The statement sounds strong but she doesn't know what she would will do if he actually does leave. He regards her for a couple of seconds more and then sits in the chair he'd appeared in.

"Let's just say your mother and I had a business arrangement that she…was able to find the loophole on." Regina is about to ask for more information, because quite frankly that is just a drop in a bucket of shadiness that is typical of Cora, when he gave her a look that makes her close her mouth. For a split second she can see a look of sadness and hurt flash across his face but it was replaced with a look of controlled bemusement. To diffuse the tenseness that is building Regina turns back towards the covered item and takes a couple of steps towards it.

"Say I accept this, what do you want from me?"

"Nothing as of yet, just promise me that Cora will be the one to remove the mirror's covering. Once she removes it, you, dearie, will push her into the mirror. Your problems will be over once that happens. She will not be able to hurt or control you after that." He disappears in a whirl of purple smoke and Regina is frozen to the spot. Did he just in a roundabout way say that he wanted Regina to kill her own mother? The door to her room opens and in walks one of the maids.

"Your Highness, your mother wants me to remind you that King Leopold will be here tomorrow. She wants you to wear the dress she had made for you." The maid curtsey's and walks out of the room. Damn it, she completely forgot that he was coming to spend the week. Their wedding is just a couple of days away. Regina looks once more at the covered object and gets in bed. A sense of dread fills her. When the time comes will she be able to push her mother to her demise. Her sleep is fitful and full of nightmares. The one that woke her up for the day was pushing her mother towards the mirror. Instead of going into it Cora just bounces off it and stares at her daughter. Cora begins to laugh which is followed by the laughter of Rumplestiltskin. The two of them, Cora and Rumplestiltskin, then proceed to torture Regina, all while cackling away.

"Good morning your Highness. Would you like to have breakfast down in the dining hall or in your room?" The maid from the previous night is standing just inside the doorway. Regina wonders how long she'd been there. The thought of seeing her mother at the moment is terrifying.

"I will just take it here Greta, thank you." The maid curtseys again and disappears. Regina wraps her dressing robe around her and walks to her window. The sun is shining brightly and she can hear birds chirping to their young. It's ten minutes before the maid is back with breakfast. Regina sits down and asks her to sit with her. One thing that Cora would put a stop to immediately if she knew would be that Regina often spends her mornings speaking with and cultivating a relationship with the workers of the house. Her mother always looks at the staff as peons and beneath her but Regina can see that by acknowledging them and at least attempting a relationship can and does lead to a happier more productive household.

"So, Greta tell me about the young man I saw you speaking with in town the other day." The girl blushes and begins to talk animatedly about the boy, Robert. Regina revels in the feeling of normal young girl behavior. When the clock strikes seven Greta stops talking and in a panic begins gathering up the breakfast remains.

"Your mother wanted me to feed the horses by seven. She is going to kill me." Regina opens her mouth to speak but another voice speaks.

"Not yet, I won't. I still need you to feed the animals. Now go." The girl sprints out of the room.

"Mother, how long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you speak with the help like they are people." Cora turns towards the still covered mirror and takes three steps towards it.

"Is this a gift from the King? Why would you still have it covered? If he'd meant for it to stay covered he would have waited to have it delivered." Regina can feel the words telling her mother to stop bubble up as Cora pulls the cloth off the mirror. After Cora studies her reflection she turns back towards Regina.

"I do hope you wrote a thank you note to the King for his ostentatious gift." That is typical Cora. She must find some fault in everything. There is a brief flash in the mirror and Regina can almost swear that it is Rumplestiltskin doing a pushing motion.

"Now, Regina the King will be here in a short while why aren't you dressed already? I don't want to hear anything about your 'doubts' over this wedding and marriage again. You need to marry Leopold so that w-you can be set for life." Regina can feel the gentle squeeze of magic that Cora likes to do just to keep people in line. In an instant Regina has had enough and she pushes, or at least she thinks she pushed Cora. Cora goes flying and goes into the mirror, not just falling into it but rather is absorbed by the mirror. The glass shatters and goes flying. Regina covers her face and turns away.

She is free, she feels free. Regina doesn't have to marry Leopold any more. She can run away and never look back. In a flash Regina is dressed in her riding clothes and running towards the stables. She grabs the fastest horse and races out of the stables and away from the home she has known her whole life. Upon getting to the edge of her families property Regina sees a familiar person standing on the side of the road.

"What do you think you are doing dearie?"

"I did exactly what you told me to; I pushed Cora into the mirror. I'm free and I am leaving here." Regina moves the horse to go around him but he just steps in front of her again.

"How did it feel?"

"I loved my mother." It takes a seconds pause for Regina to actually speak those words. On some level she did love Cora. She always tried to be the best but it never seemed to be enough. Her father, a kind man, was useless when it came to stopping Cora and her control.

"That's not what I'm asking. How did it feel using magic?"

"It doesn't matter; I'll never use it again." She felt as if she was repeating herself. She'd already told Rumplestiltskin that she had no desire to become like Cora.

"Why not?"

Regina speaks before she can even put a thought together.

"Because I loved it." It terrifies Regina how much she actually loved the feeling of magic rushing through her, the startled look on Cora's face as she flew back into the mirror.

"You've discovered who you are. You could do so much if you let me show you how."

"Through magic?"

"Through many things." Regina is instantly skeptical.

"And what do you get out of it?"

~Rumplestiltskin~

"Someday you'll do something for me. Let me guide you." He can tell that Regina is almost there. She is almost ready to learn from him.

"And I won't become like her?"

"That is entirely up to you, dearie." This seems to be enough for Regina to consent to learning magic from him. She climbs down off the horse and turns back towards her home. He picks that moment to leave her be. Rumplestiltskin smiles as soon as he is back at the Dark Castle. Cora isn't dead. She is in a magical world that is completely blank. There is literally nothing, Cora is just floating around in nothingness. A wicked grin envelops his face and he giggles his maniacal chortle. He takes a moment to look into the future. He cannot see with preciseness. Only one born with the sight can but he can see enough to fill in the details. He can see an angry Regina coming to him and asking for his help. She is a powerful witch at that point.

"It is all falling into place." He states to himself. He lets the sounds of the desperate wash over him and he sees which ones he can extrapolate something that will help further his plan.

He stands invisible as he watches Regina walk down the aisle to wed Leopold. The whole wedding is subdued, he assumes because of Cora's absence. He can see that she is incredibly nervous and wants to run but doesn't. The kiss at the end is just merely a perfunctory kiss rather than one filled with passion. Milah and he had perfunctory kisses, the one when they were wed, the ones when they conceived Bae and the one when he went off to battle. At the time though he thought they were kisses full of promise and passion. When he saw how Milah tried to protect Killian he could see the love in her for Killian in her eyes. His hatred over her at that moment took over and he killed her. He crushed the very heart he'd promised to protect years earlier.

Regina and Leopold walk up the aisle to the applause of the people. Leopold is a much beloved king who won the people over when his first wife died. Rumplestiltskin can see the love in the King's eyes as he looks at the beautiful young bride standing next to him. The man is beaming and plants another kiss on her at the end of the aisle. The crowd slowly leaves the hall and wanders towards the outdoors reception. The minstrels were already playing their instruments. Rumplestiltskin chooses this moment to leave. He doesn't need to see more gushiness.

They have their first magic lesson a mere week after her wedding. He wants her to begin with controlling the little bit of magic she has. Once she can control that magic she can magnify it to be able to do whatever she wants or needs to do with it.

"Come on dearie, it's just a leaf. You can make it float. Just concentrate." Regina looks at him and returns her focus on the maple leaf in his hand. He can feel her magic floating everywhere around him. He is about to call it quits when he can feel her energies start to focus.

"Good, good keep it up." He quietly praises her. The leaf slowly rises out of his hand. It tops out at about three inches above his palm. Regina is able to keep her concentration for a full thirty seconds, far better than some of those he'd taught previously. When the leaf falls to his palm Rumplestiltskin grins at his pupil.

"You are doing very well, dearie."

"I am? I don't know what I'm doing or what I need to focus on or with. All that did is give me a headache." He hands her a damp cloth he made appear. She takes the cloth and places it on her neck. The two sit on a nearby fallen tree.

"You will learn. It can take a while but once you start understanding there is literally nothing you cannot do with the magic inside you." Regina takes the cloth off her neck and hands it back to him. She stands up and walks back into the clearing. He sits and watches her with curiosity. Regina moves with an elegance that cannot be taught. The wedding band and engagement ring sit prominently on her left hand.

"So, tell me. Does your husband know you are practicing magic?" Regina looks at him like he's just grown a second head. He's done that to scare people before but it's always a pain because the clothes get torn and have to be mended afterwards.

"Do I look stupid? He thinks I am going for a ride on my horse."

"Ah, lying, a wonderful way to start off any happy marriage."

"And the truth would be so much better. Now help me…please." The sarcasm makes him smile and he does a slight bow and walks into the center of the clearing. The two spend the next couple of hours working on making the leaf hover and begin to move. By the time Rumplestiltskin decides to call it a day Regina is able to make the leaf hover six inches off his hand and move twenty feet towards her.

"You need to work on your concentration. Try to figure out a way to shut out the world around you. If you can do that then you will be able to control your magic even better." He walks Regina to her horse and watches her ride away for a minute before he disappears and reappears in his Castle.

"Today is a good start."


End file.
